Bless The Bride

With Molly Murphy's wedding to NYPD Captain Daniel Sullivan approaching, the Irish sleuth promises to settle down after marrying. But she has time to squeeze in one last case before then.

Rhys Bowen's deft touch and charming wit make Bless the Bride another stellar addition to her Anthony and Agatha Award--winning historical series. Irish sleuth Molly Murphy is hired to find a girl on the run in Chinatown only to find that the man who wanted her found has been killed in Rhys Bowen's tenth in this award-winning series. With Molly Murphy's wedding to NYPD Captain Daniel Sullivan quickly approaching, the Irish sleuth heads to the Westchester County countryside, where his mother can lend her a hand and advise her on a bride's proper place. And shockingly, Molly seems to be agreeing. She has already promised that she'll close up her P.I. business and settle down after marrying, but she isn't a married woman yet. So, when she gets word of a possible case, she sneaks back into the city to squeeze in a little more sleuthing before the wedding bells can ring. A wealthy Chinese immigrant wants her to find his missing bride, and Molly--sure she isn't getting the whole story--suspects that his bride ran off. But where could she go? The only Chinese women in early-twentieth-century New York are kept under lock and key, and Molly can't help but wonder if she's saving the woman from the streets or helping to lock her away for good.

Paris and the Musical explores how the famous city has been portrayed on stage and screen, investigates why the city has been of such importance to the genre and tracks how it has developed as a trope over the 20th and 21st centuries. From global hits An American in Paris, Gigi, Les Misérables, Moulin Rouge! and The Phantom of the Opera to the less widely-known Bless the Bride, Can-Can, Irma la Douce and Marguerite, the French capital is a central character in an astounding number of Broadway, Hollywood and West End musicals. This collection of 18 essays combines cultural studies, sociology, musicology, art and adaptation theory, and gender studies to examine the envisioning and dramatisation of Paris, and its depiction as a place of romance, hedonism and libertinism or as ‘the capital of the arts’. The interdisciplinary nature of this collection renders it as a fascinating resource for a wide range of courses; it will be especially valuable for students and scholars of Musical Theatre and those interested in Theatre and Film History more generally.

First used by the ancient Celts, angel scrolls were inscribed with runes or prayers that helped connect the physical world to the spirit realm. Make Your Own Angel Blessing Scrolls presents a wealth of projects that deliver angelic protection, healing, and blessings. Complete with beautiful photographs and simple instructions, this practical guide suggests sympathetic wording, describes how to invoke the blessing of the appropriate angel, and provides advice on infusing the scrolls with aromatic oils or herbs, and embellishing them with crystals and calligraphy. Display them for all to admire, and create a powerful conduit for angelic benefaction.

The Dead Sea scrolls calls it the conflict between the Sons of Light and Sons of Darkness. We know it as a spiritual struggle between good and evil. Over the years, it has taken on many different identities, but the struggle remains the same. Which way should you go? There are no facts to set on, no escaping to the desert or a cave. The struggle is here. It is real, and we must deal with it. The Ben-Adon Scrolls tells the story of just such a struggle. It is the story of a people who are exposed to the tale of the first three years of the ministry of Jesus of Nazareth, his crucifixion, his resurrection, and his ascension. Everyone has the same information, but the reaction varies according to their background, their conscience, and the dictates of their upbringing. Pontius Pilate put the question to the chief priests when he freed Barabbas. "What then should I do with Jesus called Christ?" This question has come down through the ages. It has been confronted by Paupers, kings, and every other class of humanity. This book will help you define or redefine your answer to this most important question. Some of the characters are fictitious and some are real, but they will all be affected by the conflict of their day. This conflict is not over. It is just as present today as it was some 2,000 years ago, and everyone confronted by it. Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find.

The Oxford Handbook of the British Musical provides a comprehensive academic survey of British musical theatre offering both a historical account of the musical's development from 1728 and a range of in-depth critical analyses of the unique forms and features of British musicals, which explore the aesthetic values and sociocultural meanings of a tradition that initially gave rise to the American musical and later challenged its modern pre-eminence. After a consideration of how John Gay's The Beggar's Opera (1728) created a prototype for eighteenth-century ballad opera, the book focuses on the use of song in early nineteenth century theatre, followed by a sociocultural analysis of the comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan; it then examines Edwardian and interwar musical comedies and revues as well as the impact of Rodgers and Hammerstein on the West End, before analysing the new forms of the postwar British musical from The Boy Friend (1953) to Oliver! (1960). One section of the book examines the contributions of key twentieth century figures including Noel Coward, Ivor Novello, Tim Rice, Andrew Lloyd Webber, director Joan Littlewood and producer Cameron Macintosh, while a number of essays discuss both mainstream and alternative musicals of the 1960s and 1970s and the influence of the pop industry on the creation of concept recordings such as Jesus Christ Superstar (1970) and Les Misérables (1980). There is a consideration of "jukebox" musicals such as Mamma Mia! (1999), while essays on overtly political shows such as Billy Elliot (2005) are complemented by those on experimental musicals like Jerry Springer: the Opera (2003) and London Road (2011) and on the burgeoning of Black and Asian British musicals in both the West End and subsidized venues. The Oxford Handbook of the British Musical demonstrates not only the unique qualities of British musical theatre but also the vitality and variety of British musicals today.

The British musical in its formative years has appeared in strikingly different guises: from the lasting hits of Oliver!, and Me and My Girl, to the successes of The Dancing Years, Bless the Bride and Expresso Bongo. This authoritative study traces what made these shows successes in the West End and how their qualities define a uniquely British interpretation of the genre. Cultural, sociological and political influences entwine with close reading of the dramatic and musical elements of this repertory to reveal a fascinating web of connections and contrasts between the times, the shows and the people who made them. Through detailed case studies, such as of The Boy Friend and Bitter Sweet, the rich individuality of each West End work is spotlighted, posing vital questions and intriguing answers as to what a British musical can be. Interdisciplinary in nature, this study brings together all the core materials to discover this period in the story of the British musical. Reviewing the Situation is insightful and lively, an invaluable resource for students and scholars of musical theatre and all those theatregoers drawn to the power of these classic British shows.